Business Review

Volume 17 Issue 1
Article 4 January-June 2022

6-30-2022

Engaging the customers through social mobile application

experience
Nida Zaheer
Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

Muhammad Rizwan
Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview

Part of the Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, E-Commerce

Commons, Fashion Business Commons, and the Marketing Commons

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation
Zaheer, N., & Rizwan, M. (2022). Engaging the customers through social mobile application experience.
Business Review, 17(1), 69-84. Retrieved from 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

This article is brought to you by iRepository for open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
and is available at https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4. For more information, please contact
irepository@iba.edu.pk.
https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84

Original Paper

Engaging the Customers Through Social Mobile

Application Experience

Nida Zaheer · Muhammad Rizwan*

Abstract This paper aims to investigate the customer experience and postpur-
chase behavior in the mobile application environment. This study is experimen-
tal with a quantitative approach. Two hypothetical mobile apps were developed;
social-focused and information-focused. Data was collected by surveying 400 on-
line shoppers and, analyzed by employing SEM and multi-group analysis tech-
niques using Amos. Results suggest that a mobile app that is socially focused
enhances the customer experience and customer engagement behavior respec-
tively. Next, the need for touch provides boundary conditions between customer
experience and customer engagement behavior. Behavioral experience can be en-
hanced by improving online customer experience with the help of atmospherics
have implications for the retailers. Social mobile apps with richer media experi-
ence reduce the uncertainties and lead towards customer engagement behavior.
Two real mobile applications were developed based on richer media experience
focusing on social elements and limited media experience focusing only on in-
formation. Studies are limited to cognitive and affective experience. This study
also focused on social presence and sensory appeal with cognitive and affective
dimensions. Customer engagement behavior was studied in depth.
Keywords m-commerce, online customer experience, Customer engagement
behavior, social mobile apps, multi-group analysis, need for touch

1 Introduction

Rapidly changing technology and the increasing number of well-informed cus-

tomers changed their traditional mode of search and evaluation especially in
Nida Zaheer
Bahauddin Zakariya University
E-mail: nidazaheer83@gmail.com

Muhammad Rizwan
Bahauddin Zakariya University
E-mail: mriz@bzu.edu.pk
*corresponding author

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

N. Zaheer, and M. Rizwan

the digital environment such as mobile apps (Eigenraam et al 2018; Newman

et al 2017). Mobile applications have become a major changer in retailing (Lee
and Kim 2019). The available literature shows that the probability of buying
using mobile apps is affected by several variables such as customer experience,
customer engagement, customization, and quality (Molinillo et al 2020).
Customer engagement is receiving greater attention in the marketing literature
(Thakur 2019). It is argued that the engaged customers are highly profitable to
the firm (Carlson et al 2019) are less price-sensitive (Izogo and Jayawardhena
2018), and advocate the firm to others (Roy et al., 2018). However, despite the
importance, research efforts are limited to customer engagement behavior using
mobile applications (Rasool et al 2020). Studies on the mobile application were
focusing on the adoption of the mobile app (Liu et al 2019), the intention to
reuse attitude toward the app (Cheung and To 2017) m-loyalty (Japutra et al
2021) design factors (Bhandari et al 2017). There is a no dearth of literature on
customer engagement in the online environment however, most of the studies
are conducted on engaging customers in the website environment (Pansari and
Kumar 2017; Roy et al 2018). These findings cant be generalized to m-commerce
due to situational differences (Wang et al 2015). Therefore, based on the discus-
sion above we can argue that it is important to understand the shopping mobile
application experience and its effect on customer behavior.
It has been argued that engagement is derived from experiencing the website
in a specific way (Calder et al 2009). Further, it is also confirmed that cus-
tomers look for experience while interacting with the website (Eigenraam et al
2018). Mobile applications have greater potential to enhance customer experi-
ence. They facilitate the shopping experience by providing a userfriendly envi-
ronment (Natarajan et al 2017. Research efforts are considerable in the website
environment (Bleier et al 2019; McLean and Wilson 2016). Since a large number
of studies on customer experience were conducted in the website context; nev-
ertheless, there is a limited understanding of the way mobile apps help enhance
the customers experience (Molinillo et al 2020). Therefore, it is imperative to
explore the way a mobile app can help to enhance the customer experience.
The present paper also aims to examine the underlying mechanism through
which design elements and customer experience contribute to customer engage-
ment behavior in the context of the mobile application. Further; overcoming the
uncertainties of online purchasing has been studied.

2 Literature review

2.1 S-O-R Model:

This study adopts a stimulus organism and response model. This model asserts
that certain stimuli such as atmospherics influence cognitive and affective state
termed organism and affects response (Mehrabian and Russell 1974). So, this
study uses the S-O-R model, design elements (stimuli), customer experience (or-
ganism), and customer engagement behavior (response). The S-O-R model is a
theoretical framework for understanding customer intentions and behavior (Hsu

70 Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

Engaging the customers through social...

et al 2012b). Further, it is largely used in retailing and e-commerce contexts to

describe consumer behavior (Wu et al 2019). However, studies on m-commerce
using the SOR framework are not large and require research efforts (Rodrı́guez-
Torrico et al 2019).

2.2 Design Elements in mobile app

Atmospheric qualities of mobile app shopping have gained considerable interest

and emerged as an important topic (Lee and Kim 2019). The atmospherics of a
website is the design of the webpage that consists of verbal and visual elements
(Bleier et al 2019). Design elements play a significant role in enhancing customer
experience and customer engagement (Bhandari et al 2017; Bleier et al 2019).
The research efforts are not large to study the role of the shopping mobile app
environment. Research effort needs to focus on design elements in the context
of mobile applications (Iyer et al 2018; Kumar et al 2018). The design element
is further categorized into social-focused and information-focused. Social focus
includes design elements with richer media experience and information focus is
linked with the design of a webpage with fewer media experiences and more in-
formation focused (Bleier et al 2019). Extent literature focused on a few design
elements focusing on information or social aspects (Bhandari et al 2017; Kumar
et al 2018; Lee and Kim 2019). However, an in-depth understanding of design
elements is not clear. This study aims to investigate the role of visual, verbal,
and navigational design elements in the mobile app context with richer media
experience/social focus in comparison with an informative app with fewer media
experiences.

H1 : Social focused design elements (visual, verbal, verbal/visual, and navi-

gational) have a positive influence on customer experience in mobile application

2.3 Online Customer Experience

It is argued that obtaining customers and their retention rely on a positive

customer experience (Chepur and Bellamkonda 2019). Mobile applications can
enhance customer experience (Molinillo et al 2020). Online customer experience
has been studied in three groups; the first was flow (Hsu et al 2012a), and the
second was cognitive and affective. The third wave conceptualized it as multi-
dimensional (Izogo and Jayawardhena 2018). However, a holistic understanding
of the customer experience needs further consideration (Petermans et al 2013).
This study fills this gap by studying a holistic understanding of customer expe-
rience by incorporating dimensions of informativeness, entertainment, sensory
appeal, and social presence.

In a physical retail environment, customers can ask directly about the prod-
uct information from the seller. In e-commerce, its a challenge to discover in-
formation from different sources (Richard et al 2010). It is affirmed that com-

Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84 71

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

N. Zaheer, and M. Rizwan

prehensive, relevant, and, precise information facilitates the intention to pur-

chase(Pandey and Chawla 2016). Entertainment is one of the crucial reasons
for using the mobile app (Ho and Syu 2010). In online retailing, cues such as
color, fonts, graphics, and, product presentation make the website entertaining
(Wu et al 2014). The entertainment of a website has a positive influence on
online shoppers (Hsieh et al 2014). So, the entertainment of a mobile app helps
in creating customer experience and is included in the study as a dimension of
customer experience.

Entertainment is one of the crucial reasons for using the mobile app (Ho and
Syu 2010). In online retailing, cues such as color, fonts, graphics, and, product
presentation make the website entertaining. (Wu et al 2014). The entertainment
of a website has a positive influence on online shoppers (Hsieh et al 2014). So,
the entertainment of a mobile app helps in creating customer experience and is
included in the study as a dimension of customer experience. Online retailing is
attributed to a limitation of human and social features which is a barrier to the
growth of e-commerce (Choi 2016). In the online environment, social presence
can be created using pictures, software-generated talking faces, virtual agents,
and online reviews (Mimoun and Poncin 2015). The Online environment has a
limitation on sensory experience (Bleier et al 2019). Sensory experience can be
stimulated using images and videos (Elder et al 2017). It increases perception
about the product and leads towards intention to purchase (Gentile et al 2007).

2.4 Customer Engagement Behavior

Customer engagement is important to capture the market shares in high com-

petition (Pansari and Kumar 2017). It is a multidimensional construct that
consists of cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects (Eigenraam et al 2021).
Technology advancement and the creation of mobile apps raised options for
behavioral engagement (Ho and Syu 2010). Literature is lacking in customer
engagement and related to the mobile application context (Tarute et al 2017).
Therefore, this study fills this gap by studying repurchase intention, word of
mouth, and customer complaint behavior that arises after experiencing the mo-
bile application. A purchasers intention towards buying again from the same
online store based upon the judgment of the purchases in the past is known as
repurchase intention (Hellier et al 2003). Customer retention is important for
retailers. Since, they are less conscious about price and increase profits for the
company (Khalifa and Liu 2007).

Online purchases are attributed to intangibility and limited experience. Pur-

chaser searches for ways to compensate for this limitation such as electronic
word of mouth (Ha and Im 2012; Yen and Tang 2019). In an online environ-
ment that is attributed to product intangibility, it is imperative to understand
how purchasers express themselves for reducing risk (Siqueira Jr et al 2019).
Customer complaint behavior arises due to buyers dissatisfaction that causes
some action (Lam and Tang 2003). It comprises three types of behavior; voice,

72 Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

Engaging the customers through social...

private response, and response to some third party. Complaining to the com-
pany is attributed to voice response. Response in the form of negative word of
mouth is termed the private response. Taking some legal action is complaining
to the third party (Mei et al 2019; Singh 1988). The focus of the present study
is internal response to service and external response to service. Based upon the
discussion above the following hypothesis can be formed to explore the influence
of online customer experience on customer engagement behavior.

H2 : Informativeness of a mobile application has a positive influence on di-

mensions of customer engagement behavior.
H3 : The entertainment of a mobile application has a positive influence on di-
mensions of customer engagement behavior.
H4 : Social presence of a mobile application has a positive influence on dimen-
sions of customer engagement behavior.
H5 : Sensory appeal of a mobile application has a positive influence on dimen-
sions of customer engagement behavior.

2.5 Need for touch

In an online environment, sensory information is not sufficient. The online envi-

ronment is attributed to a lack of tangibility and leads to a lessening consumer
experience (Overmars and Poels 2015). The purchasers wish to touch the prod-
uct physically is termed as the need for touch (Jin and Phua 2015). Touch
plays a significant role in deciding to purchase online (Peck and Childers 2006).
Failure of online retailing is mainly attributed to the limitation of tactile input
in web retailing leads to less experience and engagement (Overmars and Poels
2015). The use of technologies for reducing tactile limitation has some problems
such as cost, installation, resources, and network limitations (Rodrigues et al
2017). Past studies use the need for touch as a moderator between the influence
of customer experience and brand attitude (Keng et al 2012), product presen-
tation video, and intention to purchase (Flavián et al 2017).

H6 : The need for touch provides a boundary condition between online cus-
tomer experience and customer engagement behavior.

3 Methodology

3.1 Theoretical Framework

3.2 Experimental Design

The present study is experimental and focusing factorial experiment design.

Factorial design helps to calculate the influence of two or more experimental

Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84 73

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

N. Zaheer, and M. Rizwan

Fig. 1: Theoretical Framework

conditions on the dependent variable (Sekaran and Bougie 2016). The exper-
iment design which is full factorial is complex, laborious and, needs a large
number of experiments to conduct. We used Taguchi 1986 orthogonal array
Which reduces the number of cells that are required (Davis and John 2018).
We need 68 cells; 17 combinations of design elements per product * 2 products
* 2 firms. It has been confirmed that the use of experiments in the context of
mobile apps enhances realism which leads to better quality results (Kumar et al
2018). Further, experiment designs using mobile apps have been studied in the
past (Kumar et al 2018). They found that using experiments they collected data
close to the real feelings.So, experiment design is employed in the present study
to get data close to real. Then, we selected the sample size. The sample size
was selected based on the 10 rules of thumb (Hair et al 2014). The total sample
should be 10 times greater than the number of items. So, a 50*10=500 sample
size was selected for the study.

Table 1: Experimental stimuli

Design Element Click Retail/social Fo- Press Re-
cused tail/Information
Focused
Product description Tone Emotional Unemotional
Product Description 25% larger Baseline description
Bullets 5 3
Information about return policy Available No
Crop picture Available No
Lifestyle photo Available No
Photo size Available Basic
Video Available No
Ratings Available No
Endorsement Available No
Comparing matrix Available No
Recommendation Agent Available No
Filters Available No
Cart of shopping Available No
Method to pay Available No
Dynamic Filter Available No
Search with keyword Available No

74 Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

Engaging the customers through social...

3.3 Demographics

The target audience for the study is male and female students of the university
familiar with mobile apps. There were 420 responses we received. In the data
cleaning process, we eliminated 20 responses for accuracy. The responses were
deleted due to missing data, the respondents did not fill out the questionnaire
completely (Sekaran and Bougie 2016). Out of 400 responses, 201 responses were
from the experimental group and 199 from the control group. The demograph-
ics of the study include 200 respondents male and female each. Qualification
includes Bachelors 121, Masters 116, MPhil 116, and 47 Ph.D. scholars. Further
their age group; Less than 20 years 120, 21-30 Years 168, 31-40 years 75, 41-50
years 37. The demographics of the study are presented in table 2.

Table 2: Demographics
Experimental Group Frequency Control Group Frequency
Gender Gender
Male 96 Male 110
Female 105 Female 89
Education Education
Bachelors 60 Bachelors 61
Master 70 Master 46
M-phill 60 M-phill 56
Phd Scholars 11 Phd Scholars 36
Age Age
Less than 20 59 Less than 20 61
21-30 89 21-30 79
31-40 40 31-40 35
41-50 and above 13 41-50 and above 24

3.4 Scale assessment

Scales from previous literature were used in the survey. Items adopted for in-
formativeness (Luo 2002), entertainment (Hausman and Siekpe 2009), social
presence (Gefen and Straub 2003), sensory appeal (Jiang and Benbasat 2007),
repurchase intention (Wu et al., 2014), electronic word of mouth (Yoo and Gret-
zel 2008) customer complaint behavior (Zeithaml et al 1996), and auto-telic need
for touch (Peck and Childers 2006). Table 4.2 exhibits the model fitness of the
study

4 Results and discussion

4.1 Reliability and validity

In the first step, we assessed the psychometric attributes of the scale. We mea-
sured the reliability of the scale all values were above 0.7 and within a satisfac-
tory range. Then AVE was computed to assess convergent validity. All values

Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84 75

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

N. Zaheer, and M. Rizwan

are above 0.5 and accepted. Next Discriminant validity is achieved. Results are
in the satisfactory range (Civelek 2018).

76 Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84

Published by iRepository, July 2022

 Table 3: Reliability and validity
Variable Composite Average Informat Enter Social Sensory RepurchaseCustomer e-WOM
Reliability Variance iveness tainment Presence Appeal Intention complaint
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

(CR) Ex- Behavior

tracted

Published by iRepository, July 2022

(AVE)
Informativeness 0.856 0.665 0.815
Entertainment 0.852 0.657 0.506*** 0.811
Social Presence 0.841 0.517 0.509*** 0.229*** 0.719
Sensory Appeal 0.736 0.482 0.611*** 0.516*** 0.675*** 0.694
https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4

Repurchase 0.88 0.71 0.663*** 0.373*** 0.667*** 0.651*** 0.843

Intention
Customer Com- 0.879 0.645 0.659*** 0.450*** 0.640*** 0.755*** 0.637*** 0.803
plain Behavior
e-WOM 0.888 0.44 0.728*** 0.533*** 0.714*** 0.768*** 0.747*** 0.899*** 0.663

Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84

Notes for the model: N=400, ??2=909.834, Degree of freedom=443, CFI=0.96, TLI=0.96, RMSEA=0.05 .

77
Engaging the customers through social...
https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

N. Zaheer, and M. Rizwan

4.2 Hypothesis testing

The relationship of experience dimensions to customer engagement behavior was

measured using SEM on Amos 23 version. The output is presented in Tables 4
and 5.
Experiment group
The results of the experimental groups show that there is a significant influence
of informativeness, and social presence, on repurchase intention. Informative-
ness, entertainment, social presence, and sensory appeal with e-wom. Further,
informativeness and sensory appeal with complaint behavior. However, results
are not significant for entertainment with repurchase intention and CCB.

Table 4: Hypothesis testing for Experimental Group

Hypothesis RPI e-wom CCB
p p p
H2 Info 0.34 *** 0.311 *** 0.298 ***
H3 Ent 0.036 0.486 0.109 0.006 -0.05 0.91
H4 SP 0.454 *** 0.296 *** 0.102 0.083
H5 SA 0.132 0.064 0.334 *** 0.545 ***

Control group
The results of the control groups show that there is a significant and positive
influence of entertainment, social presence, and sensory appeal on repurchase in-
tention. Informativeness social presence, and sensory appeal with e-wom. Next,
informativeness and sensory appeal with complaint behavior. However, there
is no support for informativeness and repurchase intention and entertainment
with e-wom and CCB.

Table 5: Hypothesis testing for Control Group

Hypothesis RPI e-wom CCB
p p P
H2 Info 0.06 0.23 0.22 *** 0.247 ***
H3 Ent 0.123 0.018 0.025 0.61 0.033 0.56
H4 SP 0.53 *** 0.322 *** 0.061 0.37
H5 SA 0.229 *** 0.398 *** 0.57 ***

4.3 Multi-group analysis

Metric invariance was executed to check the group difference. As we have two
groups, one is an informational-focused app and the second is a social-focused
mobile app. Multi-group analysis or between-group analysis use to know the
significant difference among groups (Byrne 2004). The analysis was performed

78 Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

Engaging the customers through social...

using Amos. The chi-square difference between groups is not significant. So, we
can conclude that the information app is different from the social app. Table 6
presents the findings of the Metric invariance analysis. The results of the multi-
group analysis exhibit that both groups are significantly different from each
other.

Table 6: Metric invariance analysis

Chi-square df p Invariant

Unconstrained 1905 6
Fully constrained 1930 18
Total group 2
Group difference 33.464 24 0.095 N0

4.4 Moderation analysis

Hayes process macro was used to measure the boundary condition need for
touch. It is a simple tool to calculate results with fewer efforts (Hayes et al
2017). Model no 1 was used to assess the moderating influence. The output is
presented in table 7. The findings of this study demonstrate that NFT provides
boundary conditions between customer experience dimensions and customer
engagement behavior dimensions.

Table 7: The moderating role of NFT

Repurchase Intention SE t p LCL UCL
Info x NFT 0.2 0.04 4.43 0 0.11 0.3
ENT x NFT 0.16 0.05 3.15 0 0.06 0.26
SP x NFT 0.15 0.05 3.06 0.002 0.05 0.25
SA x NFT 0.17 0.05 3.42 0.001 0.07 0.28
Electronic word of mouth
Info x NFT 0.21 0.03 6.36 0 0.014 0.27
ENT x NFT 0.22 0.03 6.22 0 0.14 0.29
SP x NFT 0.2 0.03 6.05 0 0.14 0.27
Complaint Behavior
Info x NFT 0.26 0.04 5.92 0 0.17 0.35
ENT x NFT 0.21 0.04 4.38 0 0.11 0.31
SP x NFT 0.2 0.04 4.14 0 0.1 0.3
SA x NFT 0.17 0.04 3.65 0 0.08 0.27

4.5 Discussion

This study has investigated the role of design elements (social-focused/informationfocused)

in the creation of online customer experience which leads to customer engage-
ment behavior. Further, brand image was also studied to know its role in mit-
igating the need for touch. The outcomes of the research suggest that social

Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84 79

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

N. Zaheer, and M. Rizwan

mobile app with richer media has more influence on customer experience and
customer engagement behavior. It suggests that people while using the mobile
app are more motivated by experience rather than only information. It means
only product pictures and videos and text related to information only doesnt
enhance their purchase intention. Rather, with text, pictures, and video retail-
ers can add picture crop, picture of recommendation agent, use of the product,
and other elements which enhance the experience. Further, this rich experience
influences sensory appeal and social presence which in turn leads to repurchase
intention from the store, spreading the word of mouth, and complaint behavior.

This research effort has made some contributions. First, findings affirmed
that design elements of the mobile application with richer media experience
have a significant and positive influence on customer behavior. These findings
are similar to the past findings in the mobile app context (Kumar et al 2018; Lee
and Kim 2019). This finding has implications for the retailer to design the app
page that is entertaining and influences the sensory and social appeal for com-
pensation of risks in online shopping.Second, it has investigated, the influence of
mobile app-based customer experience on customer engagement behavior. Re-
search efforts are limited to studying customer experience as a uni-dimensional
construct. This study provided a theoretical contribution by studying it as a
multi-dimensional construct (Bleier et al 2019). This finding has implications
for the retailer that they should evoke multiple experiences through atmospher-
ics rather than single. This enhanced experience causes the user to stay on the
page.

Third, most of the studies in the past were focusing measuring experience
using existing mobile apps. This study has made the contribution that we have
developed real mobile apps to measure real responses. Fourth, the need for touch
provides moderation. The effect is larger for qualities such as social presence and
sensory appeal, but less so for informativeness and entertainment, according
to the findings. We can conclude that knowledge is less crucial for experience
products, whereas other signals such as social presence and sensory appeal are
more important (Maity and Dass 2014).

4.6 Limitations and directions for future research

The present study is not free from limitations and that should be addressed
in the future. The study was conducted in a lab setting. It lacks external va-
lidity. Further, it has focused only on two products apparel and mobile phone.
Future research might be conducted to study other products. The influence
of customization based on contents customized to location can be investigated
further. Another main limitation of the study is it took design elements as ex-
perimental stimuli. There is a need to understand which design element has a
relatively greater influence on customer experience and in turn customer en-
gagement.

80 Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

Engaging the customers through social...

5 Conclusion

This study aims to examine the role of design features in enhancing experi-
ence and customer engagement behavior. Further need for touch provides the
boundary condition between the influence of customer experience and customer
engagement behavior. Pakistan is an emerging economy and population-wise
fifth country. The past few years have witnessed the rapid growth of technology
applications and mobile customers. This increasing trend motivates researchers
and managers to know what motivates customers to purchase from the mobile
app. What type of experience is required to engage customers (Hanif et al 2021;
Molinillo et al 2020). This study will be helpful for the retailer to design a mobile
app that is having rich media experience which will enhance customer experi-
ence and leads to engagement behavior. Further, a richer media experience will
mitigate the need for touch in an online environment.

References

Bhandari U, Neben T, Chang K, Chua WY (2017) Effects of interface design factors on

affective responses and quality evaluations in mobile applications. Computers in Human
Behavior 72:525–534
Bleier A, Harmeling CM, Palmatier RW (2019) Creating effective online customer experiences.
Journal of marketing 83(2):98–119
Byrne BM (2004) Testing for multigroup invariance using amos graphics: A road less traveled.
Structural equation modeling 11(2):272–300
Calder BJ, Malthouse EC, Schaedel U (2009) An experimental study of the relationship
between online engagement and advertising effectiveness. Journal of interactive marketing
23(4):321–331
Carlson J, Rahman MM, Taylor A, Voola R (2019) Feel the vibe: examining value-in-
the-brand-page-experience and its impact on satisfaction and customer engagement be-
haviours in mobile social media. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 46:149–162
Chepur J, Bellamkonda R (2019) Examining the conceptualizations of customer experience
as a construct. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal 23(1):1–9
Cheung MF, To WM (2017) The influence of the propensity to trust on mobile users’ attitudes
toward in-app advertisements: An extension of the theory of planned behavior. Computers
in Human Behavior 76:102–111
Choi S (2016) The flipside of ubiquitous connectivity enabled by smartphone-based social
networking service: Social presence and privacy concern. Computers in Human Behavior
65:325–333
Civelek ME (2018) Essentials of structural equation modeling. Essentials of Structural Equa-
tion Modeling (2018)
Davis R, John P (2018) Application of taguchi-based design of experiments for industrial
chemical processes. Statistical Approaches With Emphasis on Design of Experiments Ap-
plied to Chemical Processes 137
Eigenraam AW, Eelen J, Van Lin A, Verlegh PW (2018) A consumer-based taxonomy of
digital customer engagement practices. Journal of Interactive Marketing 44:102–121
Eigenraam AW, Eelen J, Verlegh PW (2021) Let me entertain you? the importance of au-
thenticity in online customer engagement. Journal of Interactive Marketing 54:53–68
Elder RS, Schlosser AE, Poor M, Xu L (2017) So close i can almost sense it: The inter-
play between sensory imagery and psychological distance. Journal of Consumer Research
44(4):877–894
Flavián C, Gurrea R, Orús C (2017) The influence of online product presentation videos on
persuasion and purchase channel preference: The role of imagery fluency and need for
touch. Telematics and Informatics 34(8):1544–1556

Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84 81

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

N. Zaheer, and M. Rizwan

Gefen D, Straub D (2003) Managing user trust in b2c e-services. e-Service 2(2):7–24
Gentile C, Spiller N, Noci G (2007) How to sustain the customer experience:: An overview
of experience components that co-create value with the customer. European management
journal 25(5):395–410
Ha Y, Im H (2012) Role of web site design quality in satisfaction and word of mouth generation.
Journal of Service Management
Hair JF, Black W, Babin B, Anderson R, Tatham R (2014) Pearson new international edition:
Multivariate data analysis. Exploratory Data Analysis in Business and Economics pp 23–
60
Hanif MS, Wang M, Mumtaz MU, Ahmed Z, Zaki W (2021) What attracts me or prevents
me from mobile shopping? an adapted utaut2 model empirical research on behavioral
intentions of aspirant young consumers in pakistan. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing
and Logistics
Hausman AV, Siekpe JS (2009) The effect of web interface features on consumer online pur-
chase intentions. Journal of business research 62(1):5–13
Hayes AF, Montoya AK, Rockwood NJ (2017) The analysis of mechanisms and their con-
tingencies: Process versus structural equation modeling. Australasian Marketing Journal
(AMJ) 25(1):76–81
Hellier PK, Geursen GM, Carr RA, Rickard JA (2003) Customer repurchase intention: A
general structural equation model. European journal of marketing
Ho HY, Syu LY (2010) Uses and gratifications of mobile application users. In: 2010 interna-
tional conference on electronics and information engineering, IEEE, vol 1, pp V1–315
Hsieh JK, Hsieh YC, Chiu HC, Yang YR (2014) Customer response to web site atmospherics:
Task-relevant cues, situational involvement and pad. Journal of Interactive Marketing
28(3):225–236
Hsu CL, Chang KC, Chen MC (2012a) Flow experience and internet shopping behavior:
Investigating the moderating effect of consumer characteristics. Systems Research and
Behavioral Science 29(3):317–332
Hsu CL, Chang KC, Chen MC (2012b) The impact of website quality on customer satisfaction
and purchase intention: perceived playfulness and perceived flow as mediators. Information
Systems and e-Business Management 10(4):549–570
Iyer P, Davari A, Mukherjee A (2018) Investigating the effectiveness of retailers mobile ap-
plications in determining customer satisfaction and repatronage intentions? a congruency
perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 44:235–243
Izogo EE, Jayawardhena C (2018) Online shopping experience in an emerging e-retailing
market. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing
Japutra A, Utami AF, Molinillo S, Ekaputra IA (2021) Influence of customer application
experience and value in use on loyalty toward retailers. Journal of Retailing and Consumer
Services 59:102,390
Jiang Z, Benbasat I (2007) Research noteinvestigating the influence of the functional mecha-
nisms of online product presentations. Information Systems Research 18(4):454–470
Jin SV, Phua J (2015) The moderating effect of computer users autotelic need for touch on
brand trust, perceived brand excitement, and brand placement awareness in haptic games
and in-game advertising (iga). Computers in Human Behavior 43:58–67
Keng CJ, Liao TH, Yang YI (2012) The effects of sequential combinations of virtual experi-
ence, direct experience, and indirect experience: the moderating roles of need for touch
and product involvement. Electronic Commerce Research 12(2):177–199
Khalifa M, Liu V (2007) Online consumer retention: contingent effects of online shopping habit
and online shopping experience. European Journal of Information Systems 16(6):780–792
Kumar DS, Purani K, Viswanathan SA (2018) Influences of appscapeon mobile app adoption
and m-loyalty. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 45:132–141
Lam T, Tang V (2003) Recognizing customer complaint behavior: The case of hong kong hotel
restaurants. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 14(1):69–86
Lee Y, Kim HY (2019) Consumer need for mobile app atmospherics and its relationships to
shopper responses. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 51:437–442
Liu H, Lobschat L, Verhoef PC, Zhao H (2019) App adoption: The effect on purchasing of
customers who have used a mobile website previously. Journal of Interactive Marketing
47:16–34

82 Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

Engaging the customers through social...

Luo X (2002) Uses and gratifications theory and e-consumer behaviors: A structural equation
modeling study. Journal of Interactive advertising 2(2):34–41
Maity M, Dass M (2014) Consumer decision-making across modern and traditional channels:
E-commerce, m-commerce, in-store. Decision Support Systems 61:34–46
McLean G, Wilson A (2016) Evolving the online customer experience is there a role for online
customer support? Computers in Human Behavior 60:602–610
Mehrabian A, Russell JA (1974) An approach to environmental psychology. the MIT Press
Mei XY, Bagaas IK, Relling EK (2019) Customer complaint behaviour (ccb) in the retail
sector: why do customers voice their complaints on facebook? The International Review
of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research 29(1):63–78
Mimoun MSB, Poncin I (2015) A valued agent: How ecas affect website customers’ satisfaction
and behaviors. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 26:70–82
Molinillo S, Navarro-Garcı́a A, Anaya-Sánchez R, Japutra A (2020) The impact of affective
and cognitive app experiences on loyalty towards retailers. Journal of Retailing and Con-
sumer Services 54:101,948
Natarajan T, Balasubramanian SA, Kasilingam DL (2017) Understanding the intention to use
mobile shopping applications and its influence on price sensitivity. Journal of Retailing
and Consumer Services 37:8–22
Newman CL, Wachter K, White A (2017) Bricks or clicks? understanding consumer usage of
retail mobile apps. Journal of Services marketing
Overmars S, Poels K (2015) How product representation shapes virtual experiences and re-
patronage intentions: the role of mental imagery processing and experiential value. The
International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research 25(3):236–259
Pandey S, Chawla D (2016) Understanding indian online clothing shopper loyalty and dis-
loyalty: the impact of e-lifestyles and website quality. Journal of internet Commerce
15(4):332–352
Pansari A, Kumar V (2017) Customer engagement: the construct, antecedents, and conse-
quences. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 45(3):294–311
Peck J, Childers TL (2006) If i touch it i have to have it: Individual and environmental
influences on impulse purchasing. Journal of business research 59(6):765–769
Petermans A, Janssens W, Van Cleempoel K (2013) A holistic framework for conceptualizing
customer experiences in retail environments. International Journal of Design 7(2)
Rasool A, Shah FA, Islam JU (2020) Customer engagement in the digital age: A review and
research agenda. Current Opinion in Psychology 36:96–100
Richard MO, Chebat JC, Yang Z, Putrevu S (2010) A proposed model of online consumer
behavior: Assessing the role of gender. Journal of Business research 63(9-10):926–934
Rodrigues T, Silva SC, Duarte P (2017) The value of textual haptic information in online
clothing shopping. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management
Rodrı́guez-Torrico P, San-Martı́n S, San José-Cabezudo R (2019) What drives m-shoppers to
continue using mobile devices to buy? Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice 27(1):83–
102
Roy SK, Shekhar V, Lassar WM, Chen T (2018) Customer engagement behaviors: The role
of service convenience, fairness and quality. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
44:293–304
Sekaran U, Bougie R (2016) Research methods for business: A skill building approach. john
wiley & sons
Singh J (1988) Consumer complaint intentions and behavior: definitional and taxonomical
issues. Journal of marketing 52(1):93–107
Siqueira Jr JR, Peña NG, ter Horst E, Molina G (2019) Spreading the word: How customer
experience in a traditional retail setting influences consumer traditional and electronic
word-of-mouth intention. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications 37:100,870
Taguchi G (1986) Introduction to quality engineering: designing quality into products and
processes. Tech. rep.
Tarute A, Nikou S, Gatautis R (2017) Mobile application driven consumer engagement. Telem-
atics and Informatics 34(4):145–156
Thakur R (2019) The moderating role of customer engagement experiences in customer
satisfaction–loyalty relationship. European Journal of Marketing
Wang RJH, Malthouse EC, Krishnamurthi L (2015) On the go: How mobile shopping affects
customer purchase behavior. Journal of retailing 91(2):217–234

Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84 83

Published by iRepository, July 2022

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/businessreview/vol17/iss1/4
DOI: 10.54784/1990-6587.1472

N. Zaheer, and M. Rizwan

Wu LY, Chen KY, Chen PY, Cheng SL (2014) Perceived value, transaction cost, and
repurchase-intention in online shopping: A relational exchange perspective. Journal of
business research 67(1):2768–2776
Wu R, Wang G, Yan L (2019) The effects of online store informativeness and entertainment
on consumers approach behaviors: empirical evidence from china. Asia Pacific Journal of
Marketing and Logistics
Yen CLA, Tang CHH (2019) The effects of hotel attribute performance on electronic word-
of-mouth (ewom) behaviors. International Journal of Hospitality Management 76:9–18
Yoo KH, Gretzel U (2008) What motivates consumers to write online travel reviews? Infor-
mation Technology & Tourism 10(4):283–295
Zeithaml VA, Berry LL, Parasuraman A (1996) The behavioral consequences of service quality.
Journal of marketing 60(2):31–46

84 Business Review: (2022) 17(1):69-84

Published by iRepository, July 2022